Staff of Charon
The Staff of Charon is an Insurrectionist Halberd-class destroyer commanded by the former KIA Insurrectionist Leader. In Season 10, the spacecraft surprise attacks the Mother of Invention. The ship makes a minor appearance in Season 12 and appears more regularly throughout Season 13. Role in Plot The spacecraft first appears in Turbulence, where it ambushes the members of Project Freelancer from surrounding floating debris at the UNSC Scrap Metal Recycling Station. It engages itself in a dogfight against the Freelancer frigate Mother of Invention with rounds being fired from the turrets that emerge from the middle section of the ship and other two main turrets in the front section of the ship. The two spacecraft battle intensely, but the Staff of Charon ultimately gets the upper hand. Being the head of the ship, the Insurrectionist Leader orders one of his soldiers to release a nuclear bomb out into space. After the bomb is released, the Staff of Charon makes its escape through Slipspace, while the Mother of Invention is forced to flee. The Pilot of Four Seven Niner rescues Freelancer Agents Carolina, York, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington in the process, barely escaping the bomb's explosion. After the Insurrection was defeated, the fate of the spacecraft was left unknown for years. However, in You Know Who We Are, it's revealed the Staff of Charon is still active and used by Chairman Malcolm Hargrove as its base of operations to command the Space Pirates. When the Reds and Blues contact the Chairman, they accept his declaration of war against Chorus before the latter is informed by F.I.L.S.S. that the ship has received Locus' delivery from Crash Site Bravo: the Meta's helmet. During Season 13, the Chairman is shown to have implemented a trophy room inside the Staff of Charon, which includes many of Project Freelancer's equipment and remnants. He also uses the ship to communicate with Felix and Locus. However, after the two fail their mission, Hargrove witnesses Epsilon's broadcast inside the ship and, as a result, flies to Chorus and confronts the Reds and Blues. Hargrove deploys several Mantis units which the forces of Chorus cannot defeat on their own, so the Reds and Blues take Felix's damaged Falcon and board the Staff of Charon. Inside the ship, F.I.L.S.S. assists them in reaching the trophy room by shutting blast doors to keep enemies away and by telling them which path to take. Tucker and Epsilon deactivate the Mantis units, saving the people of Chorus, but Hargrove is safe in the ship's bridge. As enemy forces begin cutting through the door, the Reds and Blues arm themselves with Hargrove's "trophies," including the modified suit worn by the Meta. In order to run the suit effectively and give his friends the best chance of survival, Epsilon deconstructs himself to form a new and stronger A.I. Because of this, the Staff of Charon serves as Epsilon's place of death. After the battle, Hargrove is captured by the Reds and Blues leaving the fate of the ship unknown. Gallery SOCharon.png|Side view of the Staff of Charon. 13 06 00009.png StaffofCharonfrontview.png|Front view. 13 06 00008.png 13 06 00012.png|Trophy room Trivia *The ship appears to have a partially damaged outer structure, looking bent and scorched. *The service number of Staff of Charon is 619-B, a reference to Washington's prison number in Recreation. *The Staff of Charon is a UNSC ''Halberd''-class destroyer. The same class that is seen in the short story Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian, in the anthology Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. *Charon is the ferryman to Hades who carries the souls of the deceased across the river Styx and Acheron in Greek mythology. *As of You Know Who We Are, the name of the ship is revealed to be a reference to Charon Industries, the company that funds the Insurrection. *In the Halo 4 engine, the ship's interior is represented by a Forged version of the map Impact. Category:Vehicles Category:Charon Industries